Uefa Conference League draw LIVE: Chelsea discover play-off round opponents plus Hearts in Europa
The 2024/25 season is fast approaching and the Blues are set to compete in Europe’s third-tier competition
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The new domestic season is just around the corner after a summer of international football at the Olympics, Euro 2024 and the Copa America - and for one Premier League team in Chelsea, a new start under a new boss also means a new competition.
They’ll be taking part in the newly rebranded Uefa Conference League - formerly the Europa Conference League - after finishing sixth in the top flight last season. That would have seen them sneak into the Europa League, but Manchester United’s FA Cup victory instead bumped them down into the third Uefa competition.
Enzo Maresca has had a tricky start to life as boss after switching from Leicester in summer and he’s still yet to take charge of a top-flight game, but now knows he’ll need to beat either Braga or Servette to take Chelsea through into the group stage in Europe.
Follow the live blog below for the full play-off round draw reaction and Chelsea’s draw:
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
Uefa Conference League play-offs Groupings (Champions path)
FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR) / Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) v Winners pairing 4: FC Ballkani (KOS) / Larne FC (NIR)
FC Ordabasy (KAZ) / FC Pyunik (ARM) v NK Celje (SVN) / Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)
Vikingur Reykjavík (ISL) / FC Flora Tallinn (EST) v UE Santa Coloma (AND) / FC RFS (LVA)
FK Panevezys (LTU) / Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) v FC Petrocub (MDA) / The New Saints FC (WAL)
KI Klaksvik (FRO) / FK Borac Banja Luka (BIH) v HJK Helsinki (FIN) / FK Decic (MNE)
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
The explanations of why the draws are set out as they are and where the different teams come in (and why coefficients matter, and where clubs can’t play together, and....) take longer than the competition itself.
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
OK we’re on stage and ready to go - if you were with us earlier for the Europa League draw, we’re being shown the exact same video again right now over the formatting and group arrangements. Well, not exactly the same, we’ve got bright green Conference branding instead of orange Europa.
Anyway, again, we have several Groups already set out and the fixtures for the play-off are drawn from seeded and unseeded teams within each Group.
Chelsea are in Group 3.
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
We are just about ready to go with the Conference League draw, then.
A reminder that along with Chelsea, we’ve got Kilmarnock, St. Mirren, Larne FC and St. Patrick’s Athletic involved from the British and Irish contingent.
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
Last year in the still-then-named Europa Conference League, it was Olympicos who triumphed in the final to beat Fiorentina and become the first Greek side to win a European trophy.
They are into the Europa League this term as a result while Fiorentina are back and hoping for third time lucky, having lost the final two years in a row now.
A few returning faces might well be seen, but not Aston Villa - they reached the semis of this competition last year, losing to Olympiacos having already seenoff Ajax and Lille, but Villa qualified for the Champions League for 24/25.
On the other side of the draw, Fiorentina knocked out Club Brugge in the semis.
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
Here are all the dates you need to know if you happen to support Chelsea... or perhaps Kilmarnock, or indeed Fiorentina or Tromso or anyone else involved, really.
Group stage match dates
- Matchday 1: 3 October 2024
- Matchday 2: 24 October 2024
- Matchday 3: 7 November 2024
- Matchday 4: 28 November 2024
- Matchday 5: 12 December 2024
- Matchday 6: 19 December 2024
Knockout match dates
- Knockout round play-offs: 13 & 20 February 2025
- Round of 16: 6 & 13 March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April 2025
- Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May 2025
- Final: 28 May 2025
Dates for each round’s draws
- First qualifying round: 18 June 2024
- Second qualifying round: 19 June 2024
- Third qualifying round: 22 July 2024
- Play-offs: 5 August 2024
- League phase: 30 August 2024
- Knockout round play-offs: 20 December 2024 (tbc)
- Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final: 21 February 2025
Uefa Conference League play-off draw LIVE
Time to focus entirely on the Conference League then. Here are all the key details for the 24/25 season:
It’s a single 36-team league this year in line with changes to the other Uefa competitions, with each side playing three home and three away fixtures against six different opponents.
The top eight go through to the last 16, ninth to 24th go into a play-off knockout round, with the eight winners from those games progressing to the last 16 and it’s a straightforward two-legged knockout from that point.
This year’s final is being held in Wroclaw, Poland.
Europa League and Conference League play-off draw LIVE
That concludes the play-off path draw for the Europa League - in 45 minutes it’s the turn of the Conference League which Chelsea are in, along with the likes of Kilmarnock.
Reminder of the upcoming games for British and Irish sides after this first draw:
Qarabag FK (AZE) / PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) v FC Petrocub (MDA) / The New Saints FC (WAL)
Malmo FF (SWE) / PAOK FC (GRE) v NK Celje (SVN) / Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)
FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (UKR) / FC Viktoria Plzen (CZE) v Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO)
Europa League play-off draw LIVE
Europa League play-offs Group 3
FC Midtjylland (DEN) / Ferencvarosi TC (HUN) v KI Klaksvík (FRO) / Borac Banja Luka (BIH)
Molde FK (NOR) / Cercle Brugge KSV (BEL) v HNK Rijeka (CRO) / IF Elfsborg (SWE)
SC Braga (POR) / Servette FC (SUI) v Trabzonspor A.S (TUR) / SK Rapid Wien (AUT)
FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (UKR) / FC Viktoria Plzen (CZE) v Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO)
There’s the draw for one of the Scottish Premiership sides involved today and the only one in the Europa League play-off draw today. Hearts head to either Ukrainian or Czech opposition.
Europa League play-off draw LIVE
Europa League play-offs Group 2
LASK (AUT) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE) / Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)
UE Santa Coloma (AND) / FC RFS (LVA) v SK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / APOEL FC (CYP)
FK Panevezys (LTU) / Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) v FK TSC Backa Topola (SRB)
Malmo FF (SWE) / PAOK FC (GRE) v NK Celje (SVN) / Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)
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